Falling debris in Edinburgh. Scotland, Northern Ireland and northerly parts of England are bearing the brunt of Storm Hector

Meteorologist Claire Nasir said: "Storm Hector is continuing to cast its mark across northern Britain today, with some damaging gusts up to 55mph with some heavy showers to come, but some brighter weather through the south as we head through this afternoon.

"A yellow weather warning is still in force anywhere from Yorkshire northwards through this afternoon, probably up until 3pm."

She added that there would be: "Some heavy showers and rain across the northern isles and these strong winds, with the risk of some damage as gusts pick up too."

She said it would be a "slow process" as the winds ease overnight, with gales continuing through the evening.

Windy weather as Storm Hector roughens up the sea this morning at Aberaeron in mid Wales

But the gusts were not all bad news, as official figures showed that in the 30 minutes before 10am today, 34.5 per cent of Britain's electricity came from wind - far higher than the six per cent recorded on previous, calmer days.

Much of Britain is covered by a yellow warning, but the north and west of Northern Ireland is now subject to a more serious amber warning.

The Met Office said injuries and a danger to life is "likely" in coastal areas in Northern Ireland, with the chance of large waves and potential for beach debris to end up on roads, sea fronts and properties.

People have been advised to take care during rush hour with potential disruption due to fallen trees and the possibility that outdoor summer furniture will have been blown around overnight.

It is the first time a summer storm has been named since a new system was introduced last year which stated storms would be given names all year round.

Speaking to The Sun Online, the Met Office's Nicola Maxey said the heavy gusts of wind was unusual for this time of year, with people potentially not as ready for wild conditions as they normally would be during winter.

STORM HECTOR - Strongest winds affecting west of Ireland tonight then moving north across Scotland through Thursday. Risk of winds gusting up to 70mph in the most exposed areas. Ferry disruption likely, and given trees are in full leaf, some tree damage is possible. #StormHectorpic.twitter.com/AkjHwpostn

'I WENT DOWN WITH IT'

Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall told The Sun that the wet and windy conditions are likely to continue into next week but signalled that the end of June would be drier.

He said that the coming week’s poor conditions will fade away, with a return to more summery conditions by the following week.

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